tipitakafandomcom-20200215-history
Thera 4.7: Sambhuta
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(192):Sambhuta Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter IV. Four Verses =192. Sambhūta= Reborn in this Buddha-age in a clansman's family, he achieved Sotapana(first samadhi of Nirvana), after the Exalted One(Buddha) had passed away, by the Treasurer of the Path(Dhamma).1 And entering the Monk’s order, he developed insight and attained arahantship(enlightenment). So he lived in the bliss of emancipation(nirvana) till, a century after the Parinibbana of the Exalted One, the Vajjian monks of Vesalī put forward the ten theses, and were resisted by the Thera Niyasa2 and the Kākandakan monks, and a recension of Path(Dhamma) and Vinaya was made by 700 arahants(enlightened ones). Then the Thera, moved by righteous emotion at the proposed perversion of Dhamma and Vinaya, uttered these verses, testifying by that to aññña: ---- 291 Yo dandhakāle tarati taraṇīye ca dandhaye|| Ayoni1 saɱvidhānena bālo dukkhaɱ nigacchati.|| || 292 Tassatthā parihāyanti kāḷapakkheva candimā|| Āyasasyañca pappoti mittehi ca virujjhati.|| || 293 Yo dandhakāle dandheti taraṇīye ca tāraye|| Yoniso saɱvidhānena sukhaɱ pappoti paṇḍito.|| || 294 Tassatthā paripūrenti sukkhapakkheva candimā|| Yaso kittiñca pappoti mittehi na virujjhatī' ti.|| || ---- 291 He who decides in season meet for pause, And he who becomes easy when he should decide,3 This fool by want of plan and principle Did journey hence to suffer many ills. 292 Rewards that should be his do melt away, As in the dark weeks melts the waning moon. Dishonour he incurs, at variance with his friends. 293 He who is slow in season meet for pause, Who crosses when it was wrong to hesitate, This wise man by his plan and principle Did surely win his way to happiness. 294 The gains that shall be his become ripe and full, As in bright weeks did grow the crescent moon. Honour, renown he wins, at one with friends. ---- 1 A title bestowod on the Thera Ānanda. 2 On the Council of Vesālī (Vinaya Texts, vol. iii., chap. xii.). The Thera Sambhūta 'Hemp-robed' (Sānavasin) - was one of the organizers of this difficult and delicate campaign of reform. 3 lit., crosses. See below. ---- =4.7 192 Commentary on the stanza of Sambhūtatthera= The stanza starting with yo dandhakāle constitutes that of the venerable thera Sambhūta. That is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former buddhas, performing acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in the womb of a half-human bird (Kinnara) on the bank of the river Candabhāga, in the world when no Buddha appeared in it (Buddha Suñña); one day he happened to have seen a silent buddha, became pious-minded, paid his homage, clasped his hands, and made reverential offerings of white silver Ajjuna flowers. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirhts among divine and human beings and was reborn in a family home, when this Buddha arose; on having gained the name Sambhūta, he, on having come of age, listened to the teaching of truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Custodian of truth (dhammabhaṇḍāgarika) posterior to the passing away (parinibbāna) of the Blessed One, aptly gained pious faith, became a monk, incressingly developed spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantship. Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna.-- “I was then a half-human bird (Kinnara); I saw the stainless (viraja) Buddha, the Self-dependent (Sayambhū), the invincible. “Pious-minded and good hearted, over- come with awe (vadajāto) I clasped my hands. Having collected the white Ajjuna flower, I made special reverantial offering of it to the Self-dependent Buddha “On account of that deed, well done with volition and self-resolution (paṇidhi), I forsook the body of the half-human bird (kinnara) and well arrived at Tāvatiṃsa. Thirtysix times I was divine king and exercised celestial sovereignty. Ten times, as world king I carried out the great Sovereignty. Regional reign for me was bountiful, incalculable numerically; the seed had been so in a fertile field, in the self-dependent Buddha wonderfully for me. My good deed endured; I became a houseless monk. Today, I am worthy of receiving reverential offerings, in the dispensation of the Sākiyan Son. My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Having, however, attained Arahantship, he was dwelling with the bliss of emancipation, the thera revealed his Arahantship reciting these (four) stanzas, over his spiritual remorse (dhammasaṃcvega) when exposition was made (dipane) of the wrong doctrine (uddhamma) and false discipline (ubbinaya) of those Vajjiputtakas (young sons of Vajji), when the redaction (sangaha) of dhamma and Vinaya was made by those who upheld the good truth (saddhamma) breaking asunder that wrong view (diṭṭhim) by seven hundred canker-free Arahants, incited (ussāhita) by the thera Yasa, the son of Kakaṇḍaka, while the Vajjiputtaka belonging to Vesāli stood (thita) upholding (paggayha) the ten indulgences (vatthu), a hundred years after the parinibbāna of the Blessed One. 291. “He who moves quickly when he should go slow, and goes slow when he should move fast; because of his own unwise (ayoni) execution (saṃvidhāna), the fool has to undergo painful misery (dukkha). 292. “His benefits diminish similar to the waning moon; he reaches the stage of being reproached; he became opposed to his friends. 293. “He who goes slow when he should do so moves quickly when he should do so, because of his own wise execution, a wise man achieves happiness. 294. “His benefits become brimful resembling the waxing moon; he achieves fame and reputation; he is not opposed to friends. There, Yo dandha kāle tarati means: he does transgression (vitikkama), after having trodden upon (madditvā) when any scruple regarding discipline (vinayakukkucca) arises thus: “Is it indeed apt (kappati) or is it, indeed, not befitting (kappati)?” as long as he does not dispel that uncertainty (kukkucca) after having asked a clever bearer-in-memory of disciplinary rules (vinayadhara), up to them (tāva) when he should be slow, at the time when that business (kicca) should be made slow, he were to move fast (tarati) and make transgression. Taraṇiye ca dandhaye means: for a householder layman (gahaṭṭha) now in his going for refuge (saraṇa) and observance (saṃadāna) of moral precepts (sīla), for monks, in the doing of duties, major and minor (vattapativatta) and engagement in calm composure and spiritual insight (samatha vipassanā) when what should move fast well arrives, should he go slow without having accordingly engaged himself in doing that business (kicca) swiftly saying: “I shall do either in the coming month (ātamanamāsa) or fortnight (pakkha), time would pass of without doing that business. Ayonisaṃvidhānena means: owing to his arrangement without any resource and absence of arrangement with resource, moving quickly when he should go slow and going slow when he should expedite, in this nammer; balo means a man of meagre wisdom (buddhi); dukkham means: reaches (the stage of) his disacvantage (anattha) now as well as in time to come. Tassattha means: benefits classificed as belonging to the immediate present (diṭṭhadhammika) etc. of such an individual as does conform to that fool; Kālapakkhe va candimā, means: resembling the moon of the dark fortnight; parihāyanti means: they get exhausted and consummated day by day. Āyasskyaṃ means: the state in which he should be blamed (garahitabba) by the wise in such strain as: “Such and such an individual is without pious faith (saddhā), without pleasing piousness (pasanna), lazy (kusīta) and inferior exertion (hīnavī***), and so on; pappoti means: he becomes being known as being opposed to good friends who give him advice saying; “Regulate your life in this manner; do not behave in this way,” but by not accepting the adice to such an extent as would make his friends remark: “We should no more speak to him.” The meaning of the two remaining stanzas should be understood as the reverse of what has been said. Here, however, some scholars drew out the favour and censure of the developed mind with the state of advantage of the words: “Tarati dandhaye, (he moves quickly where he should go slow)” that (view of theirs) fits (well) in the (two) later (pacchima) stanzas. Indeed, the two former stanzas have been said by the thera with reference to the Vajjiputtaka monks who were dragged down (nikkaḍḍhita) by the Order of monks (saṇgha) by illuminating (dipetvā) the ten indulgences (vatthu) to one who, owing to his natural (pakata) uncertainty (kukkucca) did not do his such duties of a monk that should be devotedly done by him beginning from the time of his having become a monk; on the other hand, the (two) later (stanzas), however, (has been said) when a monk like himself stood having accomplished his benefits when he had regulated his life aright. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Sambhūta is complete. ----